"When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

The Hebrew people of Jesus' time were very familiar with the words of the Old Testament. They were especially fond of the prophecies of the coming Messiah, because they had been ruled by foreign powers for hundreds of years. They would all have memorized and discussed the words of Zechariah 9:9-10. Therefore, they would all have immediately understood that Jesus was making a statement by riding into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey's colt. Jesus' disciples were overjoyed by Jesus' identity, and by what was about to happen. Let's take a closer look at Zechariah, to see what they were so happy about:

I. The new king would be THE LORD'S king.

A. Israel had been ruled by foreign powers ever since the sixth century BC. They had been conquered and ruled by the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Medes, the Persians, the Greeks, and now the Romans.

B. Now all these foreign powers are about to be broken and supplanted by God's King, and God's Kingdom, foretold in Daniel 2:31-45.

II. The new king would be a RIGHTEOUS king (Zech. 9:9).

A. The kings of the nations were an immoral bunch of absolute dictators, and they had oppressed the Israelites for centuries. They were not righteous kings.

B. Now God's righteous king is about to take the throne. Isaiah 11:1-5 puts it thus:

"1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."

III. The new king would bring SALVATION and be GENTLE (Zech. 9:9).

A. Israel was looking for an immediate military victory -- temporal salvation. If the nation had received Jesus and literally enthroned Him in Jerusalem, no doubt that would have taken place.

B. Jesus knew He would not be received by Israel, but His basic purpose was to bring spiritual salvation both to the Jews and all Gentiles. John 3:16-17. He did not come to condemn the world, but to bring salvation and forgiveness from God.

IV. The new king was bringing PEACE (Zech. 9:10).

A. If Israel had received Him, He would have brought literal physical peace to Israel. The least peaceful place on earth right now is Israel. When Jews and Palestinians receive Jesus as their King, there will be peace in the Holy Land.

B. Jesus brings peace to the hearts of all who trust in Him.

C. Jesus will literally bring peace to the earth. Zec 9:10 "I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth." Someday when the world has turned to Jesus, that peace will be fully realized.

Conclusion: Why were the disciples of Jesus so joyful on that first Palm Sunday?

1. The LORD'S king was coming.
2. The RIGHTEOUS king was coming.
3. The king was GENTLE and bringing SALVATION.
4. The king was bringing PEACE.

Jesus established His Kingdom 2000 years ago, and it has been growing and extending itself throughout the world, just as He predicted in His parables of the leaven and mustard seed. Has the Kingdom of Jesus taken root in your heart? May God bless us as we put our faith in Jesus, and live for Him every day. "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven." Amen.